Notes about Recipes in this book

• Walkabout [Sarah Rosner]

  • bernalgirl on November 12, 2024

    My first meh from this collection. I don’t love vodka, so used gin. It wasn’t

• Purple fog [Tommy Quimby]

  • bernalgirl on November 26, 2024

    Worth seeking out Concord grapes

• El gallito [Matthew McKinley Campbell]

  • bernalgirl on November 16, 2024

    Make reposado tequila version

• Behind the field [Arnaud Dissais]

  • cjross on October 19, 2018

    Tasty and easy. Have made twice.

  • SheilaS on November 04, 2024

    I made this with gin instead of vodka. It was rather sweet but I enjoyed the herbal parsley and warm star anise flavors.

• Blackberry-cucumber mule [Michael Neff]

  • SheilaS on November 12, 2024

    This drink appears in the vodka chapter but is also listed as a “bonus” gin cocktail so I went with the later and was pleased with the flavor that gin adds to the cucumber, blackberry, mint and ginger beer. Delicious!

  • JulieCruz on November 17, 2024

    I’m loving the freshness the cucumber brings, it doesn’t take away the bite from the ginger beer, just works together nicely with it. The blackberries were huge and juicy, you can taste all of the components of this cocktail, I used lime juice instead of lemon.

  • bernalgirl on November 30, 2024

    A refreshing cocktail, the blackberry, mint, cucumber, and ginger beer play nicely with gin. This is a relatively straightforward cocktail if you have the produce — no special shrubs or syrups. This will be a lovely cocktail to return to in summer.

• Slippery when wet [Shannon Tebay Sidle]

  • cjross on October 19, 2018

    Delicious. Have made this a couple times. I agree with the blurb that the yogurt adds a nice subtle tang.

  • Twysbeek on July 30, 2021

    Yum, actually had everything on hand for this. Very tasty!

• The gincident [Kristina Magro]

  • ChefGrumpy on September 01, 2020

    I substitute dried for fresh if I don't have fresh herbs. Quite tasty!

  • bernalgirl on September 22, 2024

    Another incredibly well-balanced cocktail from this book. The blueberry is quite subtle, and marries beautifully with the basil and rosemary. The gin flavor comes through, and the lemon juice balances everything out.

• Gorilla monsoon [Brian Griffiths]

  • cjross on October 19, 2018

    Really good and interesting. The mango chutney works. I tried making a 1/3 batch of the garam masala syrup but needed to add more hot water to get all the sugar to dissolve.

  • bernalgirl on September 22, 2024

    Infuse whole spices to avoid sludge.

• Gin rocket [Kate Bolton]

  • foodgloriousfood on February 27, 2023

    Wonderful! Make it a double!

• Sassy flower [Alan Ruesga-Pelayo]

  • bernalgirl on September 21, 2024

    An outstanding mezcal cocktail, perfectly balanced as written. I used whole dried hibiscus flowers my syrup was more pink than red, perhaps I should have used more. I would also make the simple syrup differently — shaking the jar to dissolve the sugar seems silly compared to stirring the sugar into a warm saucepan, and straining is still easy enough.

  • SheilaS on November 12, 2024

    Like the previous poster, I also made the syrup with whole, dried hibiscus flowers instead of hibiscus tea bags and it seemed to work well. I’m not usually a fan of sours but I enjoyed this one.

• Marrakesh Express [Gabriella Mlynarczyk]

  • SheilaS on December 30, 2024

    Sweet, sour, salty, spicy! It’s kind of a fruity Bloody Mary vibe. I think nailing the sweet:heat balance is going to depend on the particular harissa you choose and your own taste. Next time, I’d like to lean into the savory side and dial back on the simple syrup. The header notes encourage us to use freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, and I did that but with so many additional flavors in this cocktail, it’s hard to believe it makes a huge difference.

• Chili chilly bang bang [Mindy Kucan]

  • JulieCruz on November 17, 2024

    This is definitely a cocktail for lounging by the pool, Chili Chilly Bang Bang from The One-Bottle Cocktail is wonderfully refreshing and will make you think you are sitting under a palm tree in the South Pacific. It’s a frozen coconut mojito with a kick, I used half of a jalapeno instead of siracha because I’m not a fan and will up the ginger a little next time because it’s not coming through. This will be on summer rotation in batch form!

  • bernalgirl on November 26, 2024

    Also good shaken if making just a few

• Stones and leaves [Jesse Carr]

  • cjross on July 08, 2019

    This might be my new favorite cocktail.

• Mr. Tingles’ punch [John McCarthy]

  • bernalgirl on November 06, 2024

    This rum drink is written as a batch cocktail that we cut down to 1/4. A well balanced, with the unexpected interplay of pomegranate juice and Sichuan peppercorns. I’d happily make the full recipe for a crowd.

  • SheilaS on December 30, 2024

    The color of this cocktail is beautiful and the peppercorn tingle is delightful. One thing I noticed is that that tongue-tingling effect seemed strongest when I got down to the bottom of the glass and when I swirled the infused rum, I could see some very, very fine particles that were apparently small enough to pass through the fine mesh strainer. If you decide to serve this in a punch bowl or pitcher, I’d suggest giving it an occasional stir to keep those pepper particles distributed.

• Spike the kiddie table [A. Minetta Gould]

  • cjross on October 19, 2018

    I'm not sure why, because it sounded delicious, but this recipe didn't work for my husband and me. We drank it but wouldn't make it again.

• Offseason [Darwin Pornel]

  • SheilaS on December 11, 2024

    This cocktail is squarely in the dessert cocktail category and that’s the way I enjoyed it. My only quibble with the recipe is the banana purée. The recipe calls for 20 slices of banana or 1.5 cups. How thick are the slices supposed to be? The thinner I slice them, the more I can fit in the cup! I went with 1 med-large banana, cut into 20 slices and got just a little over the predicted 4 oz so I think 1 banana is a safe starting point. Secondly, I think 1/4 cup of oil is way too much. I used an 8-in cast iron skillet that accommodated the 20 slices in a single area and they were practically bobbing about in the oil. I tried draining the slices on a paper towel but the caramelized sugars stuck to the paper and I couldn’t get them off. I started over with banana #2 and just a thin film of oil and that worked fine. The purée is tasty stuff and I plan to try Maggie's suggestion to swirl some into plain yogurt.

• Pear Jordan [Nick Meyer]

  • SheilaS on December 12, 2024

    This is lovely fall cocktail! For the pear juice, I followed the blend and strain method in the header notes as I don’t have a juicer. The star anise flavor is subtle as the pod is just tossed into the shaker. I think I’d prefer using a star anise simple syrup to boost that flavor but it was fine as is. Note that the pear juice will oxidize quickly on its own so go ahead and add the lemon and lime juices to it right away if it needs to sit any length of time before mixing the cocktail.

• Passport to Chile [Matt Friedlander]

  • SheilaS on December 10, 2024

    This is a juicy grapefruit/lime cocktail, sweetened with honey and perked up with a bit of hot sauce. I scaled down this large batch for a single serving. Since it only calls for a 1/2 tsp hot sauce for 12 servings, I diluted it with water so I could use a measurable amount. I used Inner Beauty hot sauce instead of Cholua and ended up doubling the recipe amount.

• Part-time model [Anna Moss]

  • SheilaS on December 10, 2024

    The header note says, “Brandy loves subtle flavors: a whisper of spice, a touch of fruit,” and that’s an excellent description. No one ingredient dominates. It’s light, refreshing, balanced, and interesting.

• Dreams of Assam [Jesse Cyr]

  • bernalgirl on February 23, 2025

    This was excellent made with leftover chai and chilled, with a dried orange slice for garnish

• French Canadian [Nathan Shearer]

  • SheilaS on November 12, 2024

    Loved this combo. I used Katz sparkling wine vinegar instead of Champagne vinegar. I also made a version with Calvados instead of Cognac and it was also delicious.

• Daisy 77 [Patrick Poelvoorde]

  • SheilaS on November 30, 2024

    I wasn’t sure the chamomile flavor would come through but did nicely. Very pleasant cocktail

• Spanish penny [Andrew M. Volk]

  • SheilaS on November 12, 2024

    With a 100 proof spirit and only 1 tsp maple syrup and 1/4 tsp vinegar this is quite bracing at the beginning so I enjoyed sipping it slowly as the ice melted and provided some dilution. Very interesting! Beware of holding your measuring spoon over the glass as it’s very easy to overshoot that little 1/4 tsp of vinegar

• California Chrome [Chris Amirault]

  • SheilaS on November 21, 2024

    I liked this at the beginning but, even after straining, the five spice powder settles to the bottom, giving a sludgy appearance with flavors a bit too strong for my taste.

• Switchback highball [Thomas Spaeth]

  • SheilaS on November 12, 2024

    Delicious fall cocktail. The header notes suggest Scotch as an option so I used Highland Park 12. The recipe calls for a collins glass but it will likely fit in a double Old Fashioned glass. I added extra ginger beer so my collins glass didn’t look half empty.

• Near miss [Benjamin Schiller]

  • cjross on October 19, 2018

    As someone who loves raspberries, this was amazing. My favourite from this book so far.

• Bourbon in black [Lynnette Marrero]

  • SheilaS on December 11, 2024

    The header notes tout this as a make-ahead batch cocktail to avoid fussing over last minute party prep. It’s both pretty and tasty so I can see the appeal but it requires making both a blackberry shrub AND a lavender and honey syrup so it’s not exactly fuss-free. The lavender isn’t strong or perfume-y but does add a nice floral note. The header notes also suggest trying this with aged rum. I did that but preferred it as written with bourbon. It was also excellent with no alcohol at all and a bit of extra sparkling water. I’m looking forward to using the remaining shrub the same way, in a tall glass of sparkling water.

• Koji king [Julia Momose]

  • SheilaS on November 18, 2024

    This is quite sweet - 3/4 oz of 2X sugar syrup will do that - but still interesting. Scotch, I used Famous Grouse), lemon juice, Demerara syrup, and miso, which provides a savory note. The miso also makes the cocktail cloudy and, similar to miso soup, the “clouds” will settle out if you’re a slow sipper like me. I don’t care for the murky look but it’s still an interesting dessert cocktail if you’re interested in something sweet after dinner.

• On the sly [Jenna Jones]

  • SheilaS on November 18, 2024

    This is an interesting Scotch cocktail that falls into the dessert or maybe brunch category. The maple syrup adds sweetness that’s balanced by double-strength coffee and Scotch. The header notes suggest subbing in 1/4 oz of a peaty Scotch, which added to the complexity, along with pinches of cocoa powder, allspice and cayenne. More ingredients than your average cocktail but also more interesting.

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